1984: Starting from a bankrupt Sichuan restaurant

Chapter 164 You didn't even include me in your article in "Sichuan Cuisine" magazine?
The drowsiness from information overload returned, and his ears were buzzing. Zhou Yan closed his eyes without making a sound, gently rubbing his temples with his right hand, and his mind gradually cleared up.

Fragments of memories spanning decades are like a rough overview of half of Kong Qingfeng's life.

From a naive and frail boy, he gradually grew into a renowned chef in Jiaozhou and became a master chef.

From an outsider's perspective, he also glimpsed half of the advisor's life.

The eldest son of the Kong family, the true eldest son, inheriting the family's craft.

In order to pass on the skills, he decisively started teaching classes, successfully allowing the Kong school to flourish.

Such vision and dedication moved and impressed him.

"Qingjie never returned. We don't even know where he died or where he was buried. We built a cenotaph for him on the mountain behind our hometown. Every year on the anniversary of the victory against Japan, I go there to pour him a couple of drinks and chat with him for half an hour."

My master and senior brother are also buried there.

I haven't called someone "Master" for almost forty years, but now I've become the Master.

When I'm finally dead, my grave will be next to theirs, and the four of us can finally get together for a mahjong game..."

Kong Qingfeng laughed heartily in the conference room.

Zhou Yan opened his eyes, only to see the tears glistening in the corners of his eyes.

He must miss his master and younger brother too, right?

At the end of the interview, the chefs from the Kong school all wore expressions of pride, a testament to their genuine appreciation for the Kong school.

The origins of this story are something that these disciples and grand-disciples might never have known in their lifetime if it weren't for today's occasion.

Kong Guodong turned his face away and silently wiped away the tears from the corners of his eyes.

Niu Ma Xiao Li put down his pen with a sigh of relief. He twisted his wrist with a slightly painful expression. He had finished writing with two fountain pens, and had to add ink several times in between.

Thirteen thousand words! That's going to kill me!
As a professional stenographer, he dared not make any mistakes, and his handwriting had to be neat, because the editorial department would have to write articles based on his manuscripts after he returned.

Kong Qingfeng recounted the three generations of the Kong school's lineage, but the content was quite complex, and he will probably have to cut a lot of it when he gets back.
But that's not his problem as a stenographer; let the editor-in-chief and deputy editor-in-chief worry about it.

"Second Master Kong, you told such a wonderful story. The story of the Kong School is the best I've heard in the past two years. We must polish this story well," He Zhiyuan said emotionally, holding Kong Qingfeng's hand.

Kong Qingfeng looked at him and asked with a smile, "Xiao He, will it be featured in the first issue of next year's 'Sichuan Cuisine' magazine?"

In the conference room, all the chefs from the Kong school looked at Kong Qingfeng with expectant expressions.

Today, everyone has gathered here not only to exchange and hone their culinary skills, but also for the sake of this "Sichuan Cuisine" magazine.

Kong Guodong sat up straight.

Xiao Lei also subconsciously straightened his clothes.

Previously, when Kong Qingfeng spoke about the Kong school's lineage, he mentioned all the second-generation disciples present.

If this gets published in a magazine, I might even see my name. Such an honor might only come when I reach the age of Master Kong and become a renowned chef.

"Don't worry, Master Kong, we've got all four spots in the first episode of next year's 'Survey Show' segment guaranteed," He Zhiyuan said with a hearty laugh.

"That's good, then I won't need to ask these disciples to burn it for me later," Kong Qingfeng said with a smile.

He Zhiyuan patted his hand: "What are you saying? You look even better than me. When you turn 100, I'll do an exclusive interview with you. It'll be called: How a Centenarian Chef is Made."

"Okay." Kong Qingfeng nodded with a smile.

Everyone burst into laughter, filling the conference room with a joyful atmosphere.

"What are you grinning about with your big teeth showing?" Zhou Yan asked with a laugh, looking at Zheng Qiang, who was grinning foolishly beside him.

“If our Kong School is featured in Sichuan Cuisine magazine, we grand-disciples will be incredibly proud. My master’s name might even appear in it, after all, he’s the senior disciple of Huaifeng.” Zheng Qiang grinned and said, “I’ll order ten or eight copies to distribute to my relatives and friends, so they know I’m also a member of the Kong School.”

“That makes sense.” Zhou Yan nodded.

"Junior brother, how many copies are you planning to buy?" Zheng Qiang asked, glancing at Xiao Lei and lowering his voice, "But Uncle was really a stubborn rock when he was young, wasn't he? If word gets out, won't you be laughed at?"

"I haven't decided how much to buy yet." Zhou Yan shook his head: "You don't understand. This is called a 'Don't underestimate a young person's stupidity' comeback story. Everyone loves to watch this kind of drama. Maybe it can even earn us some more money."

"I see..." Zheng Qiang seemed thoughtful, genuinely not understanding.

"Alright, let's take a group photo before it gets dark!" He Zhiyuan stood up, picked up the camera on the table, and slung it over his shoulder.

Xiao Li also put the laptop back into his bag and went out.

"Master, didn't you say that you were chosen by the master because of your extraordinary talent and became his last disciple?" Zhou Yan quickened his pace to catch up with Xiao Lei and asked with a smile.

Zheng Qiang was about to catch up, but upon hearing this, he subconsciously slowed down a bit, falling behind by a step, and looked at Zhou Yan with admiration.

Junior Brother Zhou is really fierce, unleashing his ultimate move right up to the enemy's face.

“Didn’t you hear what your master said? Diligence is also a kind of talent, and when I was young, I was at the very top of it.” Xiao Lei smiled and looked at Zhou Yan, saying, “When you first entered the factory canteen, you studied for a month and still couldn’t hold a kitchen knife properly. You would cut your hand twice out of three cuts…” “Alright, alright, Master, stop talking.”

"Once, I asked you to kill a fish. I told you to catch an eight-pound carp from the fish tank. As soon as you picked it up, its tail smacked your face, and your swollen face didn't go down for half a month..."

“Master, I’ve noticed you’re a bit too serious.” Zhou Yan stopped smiling.

Zheng Qiang was laughing so hard in the back that his mouth was practically stretched to his ears.

When it comes to weird and eccentric behavior, you have to go to the older generation.

Young people should not provoke others lightly.

"Do you know why I would take you as my apprentice when you're so clumsy?"

"Could it be that you see a reflection of yourself in me from back then?"

The master remained silent, only continuing to untie the leather belt.

The group arrived at the gate, where a grand chair was placed in the first row. Kong Qingfeng sat in the middle, and the others were seated according to their seniority.

Kong Guodong was in charge of making arrangements, aligning the gate, and assigning each person to their position.

Zhou Yan stood aside and watched. Anyway, he was the youngest in terms of seniority, so he would just stand wherever he was told to.

"Master! I'm back! Wait for me!" Kong Liwei ran up carrying a wooden bucket, sweating profusely. Seeing everyone lining up at the door, he quickly shouted.

Kong Guodong laughed and said, "Take the fish in and put them in the fish tank first, then we'll wait for you."

"Okay!" Kong Liwei replied, and happily carried the bucket inside.

"Xiao Lei, come and stand next to your master."

"Senior brother, this is not appropriate. You should stand here."

"Today, you represent the lineage of my senior master..."

He Zhiyuan had already set up his camera. Seeing that everyone was still arguing politely about where to stand, he glanced at Zhou Yan standing to the side, then turned to Xiao Li and said a few words.

Xiao Li opened the cloth bag, rummaged through it, and handed him a magazine.

He Zhiyuan walked towards Zhou Yan, presented the magazine in his hand like a treasure, and said with a smile, "Comrade Zhou Yan, take a look at our fourth issue of Sichuan Cuisine. The cover features your braised beef with 'Qiaojiao'."

The scene suddenly became quiet.

A flurry of gazes turned toward He Zhiyuan and the magazine in his hand.

The expressions on everyone's faces were a mixture of shock and confusion.

What did Editor-in-Chief He just say?

What does "your braised beef with your legs crossed" mean?
Zhou Yan didn't think much of it and took it without thinking. The magazine in his hand still smelled of ink, and the color-printed cover was of the beef jerky they had been posing for photos of that day.

The patterns on the blue and white porcelain basin, the tender pink beef, the bits of tripe, and the clear broth are all clearly printed on it. The red dipping saucer next to it has distinct chili pepper bits, which echo the beef and create an unexpected harmony in color.

The four large characters "Sichuan Cuisine" were written in the blank space, below which was the publication number: Issue No. 4, 1984.

"Great photos! Editor-in-Chief He, your photography skills are superb." Zhou Yan couldn't help but praise him, not as flattery, but as a genuine admiration.

The effect of this photo far exceeded his expectations.

Being featured on a magazine cover was quite a surprise to him.

"Your braised beef was delicious, the blue and white porcelain bowl was beautiful, and the sunlight was just right that day. My photography skills were just icing on the cake." He Zhiyuan was quite pleased with the praise and said with a smile, "Our editor-in-chief is also very satisfied with this photo. The cover was already set, but it was temporarily withdrawn and replaced with this one. Your interview was placed as the first article in the 'Four Wonders' column, and you were even given a separate photo."

"This is too kind of you, thank you so much, Editor-in-Chief He," Zhou Yan said hurriedly.

“Of course, our editor-in-chief also said this article is well written. It has unearthed a delicious dish with a rich history in Jiaozhou and discovered a rising star in the culinary world.” He Zhiyuan said with a smile, “I’m planning to go to Suji tomorrow. You can tell me more about Zhang’s braised food then. If it’s suitable, we can do another interview about braised food.”

“Okay, no problem.” Zhou Yan nodded.

He Zhiyuan's smile grew even brighter: "I printed two family photos of yours and put them in a magazine. Put them in your bag too, okay? Don't forget them."

"Thank you, thank you. My mom was talking about the photo a couple of days ago. I'll bring it back to her today; she'll be so happy." Zhou Yan quickly clutched the magazine to make sure the photo didn't fall out.

The two were chatting enthusiastically when they noticed that the scene seemed a bit quiet. When they turned around, they met the dumbfounded expressions of the Kong faction members.

"Zhou Yan, you...you're in Sichuan Cuisine magazine?" Kong Qingfeng's voice was slightly hoarse. He had indeed talked a lot that afternoon. At this moment, he looked at Zhou Yan with a shocked expression mixed with a bit of absurdity.

"Zhou Yan, you...you didn't even include me in your article in Sichuan Cuisine magazine?" Xiao Lei's voice was slightly hoarse, squeezed out from his throat, and his expression towards Zhou Yan was a mixture of shock and resentment.

"Zhou Yan, you...you didn't even tell me you were featured in Sichuan Cuisine magazine?" Zheng Qiang's voice trembled slightly, filled with shock and bewilderment.

(End of this chapter)